ENG-1973 — Page 167

108

PUBLIC ORDER

Police salaries were increased during the year and rank and file policemen who were earning $685 in January 1973 were being paid a monthly salary in excess of $1,000 11 months later, an increase of more than 45 per cent. Further recruitment campaigns are planned for the coming year and should result in police strength being substantially increased.

Crime

During 1973, a total of 39,778 crimes were reported to police, an increase of 5,779 cases or 17 per cent over the previous year's figures. There was an increase in number of robberies (8,717 cases), burglaries (4,740), offences against public order (647), serious assaults (2,237), membership of unlawful societies (1,319) and frauds (1,001). However, there was a drop in the number of snatchings (623), persons arrested for going equipped for stealing and similar crimes (573), and unlawful possession charges (424).

=

Of the cases reported, 18,663 were detected, giving an overall detection rate of 46.9 per cent compared with 59.3 per cent for the preceding year.

But there were fewer arrests. A total of 14,480 persons were apprehended during the year, compared with 14,982 in 1972. This represents a decrease of 502, or 3.4 per cent.

Of the total number of persons prosecuted 12,954 were adults (16 years and over) and 1,526 were juveniles. In comparison with the previous year, the number of adults prosecuted showed a decrease of 517 or 3.8 per cent. However, the number of juvenile offenders increased by 15 or one per cent. During the year, the Criminal Intelligence Unit, formed in May 1972, was reorganised into three separate units: the Criminal Intelligence Unit, which deals with the acquisition and collation of criminal intelligence, and carries out the functions of the Interpol office in Hong Kong; the Homicide Squad, dealing with murder investigations of a protracted nature; and the Special Crimes Squad, which handles particularly serious crimes.

The Special Crimes Squad achieved some notable results during the year. The most outstanding success was the solving of a series of bank robberies between July 1972 and August 1973. Two months of intensive enquiries enabled the squad to build up sufficient intelligence to mount massive raids throughout Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories by joint forces of various CID sections just before dawn on August 15, 1973, following the killing of a police sergeant during a bank robbery. The sergeant had responded to a bank alarm sounded when the Cheung Sha Wan branch of the Chartered Bank was being robbed by an eight-man gang which stole more than $460,000. These raids resulted in the arrest of more than 30 persons, the recovery of six revolvers with ammunition stolen previously from bank guards and the seizure of a large sum of money believed to be the proceeds of the Chartered Bank robbery. Thirteen persons, 10 males and three females, were sub- sequently charged with various offences.

During the year, triad gangs continued their criminal activities. The present gangs differ in make-up from their predecessors, but their activities are just as